DORTMUND vs MADRID MATCH REVIEW

September 27, 2017

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The UEFA Champions League action resumed on Tuesday 26th September 2017 as matches in the groups E, F, G and H went underway with two-time defending champions, Real Madrid bolstering a side with the likes of reigning FIFA and UEFA player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo.

Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos faced a tough challenge travelling away to current German Bundesliga league leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund have had an impressive start to the 2017-2018 season as they are yet to drop a point in the league, remaining undefeated thanks to goals from Gabonese goal machine, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who has already registered 8 league goals this campaign.

The Dortmund side also has the likes of the talented Mario Gotze and Maximilian Phillip. The group H encounter saw that both teams had a tough history of competition in the past with Real Madrid losing 4-1 due to a Robert Lewandowski’s raging form in 2013.

Real Madrid on the other hand have had a torrid start to the season as they haven’t been racking up the ‘W’ as they’ve been accustomed to and even losing at home and failing to score for the first time in 73 matches when they went up against Real Betis last Wednesday losing 0-1; Yet realmadrid still kept their 100% champions league form intact, beating Apoel Nicosa 3-0.

Both teams were without a number of key players who are instrumental if not vital to the success of their teams. Madrid were without the likes of striker French striker Karim Benzema and Left full back, Brazilian International, Marcelo; while Borussia Dortmund without captain and winger Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle, also a winger and left back Marcel Schmelzer.

Dortmund also looks to keep their head afloat in the group, which also has the likes of Tottenham Hotspur at whom they suffered a 3-1 defeat on opening night.

The match kicked off at 19:45 GMT at the Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany with the Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane describing the sporting arena as a home for champions league with the stadium fully packed to the rafters with tens of thousands of screaming fans raring to go.

The match kicked off with Madrid attacking from left to right and the home team Dortmund from right to left (on the tv screen that is). The match was simply an enthralling encounter of total end to end football as both teams bolstered of great attacking threats and it took 18 minutes for the first goal of the game to come and Gareth Bale provided a sublime volley to finish off Dani Carvajal’s well timed cross into the box.

The midfield maestros of Croatian Luka Modric and German Toni Kroos won the midfield battle, controlling the flow of playing with skill and dexterity.

Although chances fell into the lap of the goal poacher Aubameyang in the first half, he failed to convert any and the halftime break came with Madrid in front. At the commencement of the second half, Madrid took no time in restoring the superiority and extending their lead as goalscorer turned provider as Gareth bale set up star man and team talisman Cristiano Ronaldo for a tap in via a low driven cross in the 49th minute.

It took the home side 6 minutes to draw one back through Aubameyang who scored via an assist from Maximilian Phillip in the 54th minute. As the game was at 1-2, things became tense and tensions flying high with fouls being committed by both sides and total of 5 yellow cards being branded out and 8 fouls committed by both teams.

The game was put to bed in the 79th minute where star man Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his second through an assist from luka modric and beating goalkeeper Roman Burki at his near post, playing his official 400th match for Real Madrid it was a good way to end the night for champions league all time leading goalscorer. The match came to an end with Real Madrid winning 1-3, restoring their confidence and ending Dortmund’s unbeaten run at their home stadium.

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